Landing gear for airplanes



Nov. 13, 1928., 1,691,105

' G. M. BELLANCA LANDING GEAR FOIR AIRPLANES Filed Sept. 16, 1926 INVENTOR.

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A TTORNEYJ Patented Nov. 13, 1928. i I

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LANDING GEAR. FOR AIRPLANES. I 7

Application filed September 16, 1,926. Serial No. 135,771.

This invention relates generally to landing planes. The upper terminal portions of the gear constructions for airplanes. girder pieces are formed for simple pin joint Landing gear structures such as have been attachment to the fuselage framework so that heretofore provided for airplanes have been the landing gear can be readily removed or open to the objection that guides or sliding attached to the fuselage as circumstances may members have been used to permit of the require. I necessary up and down bodily movement of Still another feature of the invention rethe ground engaging wheels with relation to sides in a streamline fairing or enclosing shell the fuselage that takes place in the landing for the landing gear parts which obviates ex- 10 contact and the subsequent bounding moveposure of parts to cause air resistance in opment of the airplane. Such guides or slideration.

ing parts are aconsiderable source of weak- Other features of the invention will be ness and trouble in operation. hereinafter referred to.

Difliculty has also been found in accommo- In the drawings, in which apreferred em- 15 dating the landing gear structure to the conbodiment of the invention has been selected 05 tour of fuselage frameworks of different sizes for illustration, and inclinations and at the same time pro- F gure l is a view in perspective of an airvide for a vertical disposition of the landing plane equipped with landing gear embodywheels with a suflicient lateral spacing thereing the invention.

2 between to provide a desired stability. In Figure 2 is a perspective view on an enaddition the prior constructions have inlarged scale, with parts broken away, showing cluded exposed parts which have been the in detail the construction of the landing gear cause of air resistance. shown in Figure 1.

The objects 0 the present invention are to Figure 3 is a view in front elevation show- 2 provide a landing gear construction which ing a, portion of an airplane fuselage and the will be free from the objections referred to relation of the landing gear thereto, one of and which will'be'characterized by strength the landing gears having parts broken away and simplicity of structure, simple accommoto show the internal arrangement of strucdation to different types of airplanes, and by ture. k

30 a minimum exposure of air resisting surfaces. Figure 4 1s a view in vertical section and 30 The inven lon in l a landing wheel on an enlarged scale of a detail of construcsupporting' frame having an articulated or tion taken on the line 4.-t of Figure 5. hinged mounting at one end and with a fiexi- Figure 5 is a view in horizontal section ble mounting at the other end. The lattaken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

35 erally extending axis of the hinge connection, Referring to the drawings for a more dewhich in the accompanying drawings is tailed description of the invention, in Figure shown at the forwardend of' the wheel sup- 1 is shown an airplane having a fuselage 10, porting framework, has a length sufficient to planes ll. tractor propeller l2, and a pair insure the maintenance of the landing wheel of landing gear structures 13. the landing 40 in a true fore and aft direction coincident gear forming the subject matter of the inwith the direction of travel of theairplane. vention hereinafter set forth.

The rear extremity of the wheel supporting Referring to Figure 2 ofthe drawings, a frame is connected to a stationar part ground-engaging wheel 14 is mounted on an through a suitable shock absorbing mechaaxle 15 carried ina rigid skeleton framework nism known in this art. 16. The framework 16 has an articulated or Another feature of the invention resides hinged connection at its forward end with thein the use'of strong and rigid structural memlower extremities of a girder member 17 of bers in the form of girders having an angle an I-beam type and having edge flange menior bend therein differing in different devices bers 18. The hinge structure referred to conto accommodate the fuselages of different airsists of a pintle pin or rod 19 forming part of the skeleton framework 16 and having a pivoted bearing 20 at its end portions in the lower extremities of the girder edge flanges 18. It will be seen that the laterally extending pintle rods 19 have a substantial length so that the ground wheel 14 is maintained rigidly in fore and aft alinement with the direction of travel .of the airplane.

In order to permit oscillating movement of the ground wheel structure about the forward hinge member, a flexible connection is provided between the rearward transverse frame piece 21 of the framework 16 and an adjacent fixed transverse frame piece 22 supported at 23 in the lower terminal portions of the flanges 24 of a rearwardly located girder member 25. The flexible connection referred to consists of a rubber cord 26 wound about the transverse frame pieces 21 and 22 in enclosing-relation thereto to provide an elastic or resilient shock-absorbing connection between the wheel supporting framework 16 and the rigid portion of the structure. 1

It will be seen that the girders 17 and 25 have a bend or turn 27 therein, the angle of which is determined by the size and inclination of the fuselage surface of the airplane to which the landing gear is to be attached, and by the angle which it is desired that the a landing gear. shall have to the surface ofthe fuselage. It will be seen that the lower ends of the landing .gear sets have a vertical disposition with a stabilizing widely spaced apart location of the. landing wheels 14.

In order to provide a readily disengageable attachment of the landing gear to the fuselage framework the upper terminals of the'girder members 17 and 25 are provided with lug extensions 28 having perforations therein to receive pins 29 adapted to removably attach the girders to corresponding lugs 30 formed on the fuselage framework.

In order to rigidly brace the landing gear framework suitable diagonal strut members 31 and 32 are provided between the main girder members 17 and 25, and also horizontal brace members'33. The latter with forward bowed members 34 and rearward peaked members 35 form supporting members for a sheet metal sheathing or fairin 36 which is thus given a formation to provi e a streamline effect that will provide a minimum-air resistance in operation. The lower portion of the fairing 36 has a skirt formation 37 with inwardly and downwardly converging forward and lateral walls to prevent pocketing and interference with the flow of air in flight.

I claim: i

1. In a landing gear for airplanes, a pair 'ofgirder members adapted to be removably attached at their upper ends to'the fuselage of an airplane, said girder members being spaced apart longitudinally of the fuselage, strut members rigidly connecting said girder members, and a landin wheel supported between the lower ends 0 said girder members.

2. In a landing gear forairplanes, a pair of girder members adapted to be removably attached at their upper ends to the fuselage of an airplane, said girder members being spaced apart longitudinally of the fuselage, said girder members having a bend therein whereby the upper portions extend diagonally outwardly and downwardly from the fuselage and the lower portions have a substantially vertical disposition, and a landing wheel supported by and between the lower ends of said girder members.

3. In a landing gear for airplanes, a pair of girder members adapted to be attached at their upper ends to the fuselage of an airplane, and a wheel supporting framework having an articulated connection at its forward end with the lower end of one of said girder members and a flexible connection between the rearward end of the framework and the lower end of the other girder member.

4:. In a landing gear for airplanes, a air of girder members adapted to be remova ly attached at their upper ends to the fuselage of an airplane, said girder members being spaced apart longitudinally of the fuselage, said irder members having a bend therein wherey the upper portions extend diagonally outwardly and downwardl from the fuselage and the lower portions have a substantially vertical disposition, a wheel supporting framework havin its forward end hinged to the lower end of t e forward girder member, anda resilient connection between the lower end of the rearward girder member and the Eearward end of the wheel supporting mem- 5. In a landing gear for airplanes, a pair of girder members adapted to be removably attached. at their upper ends to the fuselage of an airplane, said girder members being spaced apart longitudinally of the fuselage, a landing wheel supported between the lower ends of said girder-members, and a fairing having a streamline formation and enclosing the entire landing gear structure except the lowermost portion of the landing wheel.

6. In a landing gear for airplanes, a pair of girder members adapted to be removably attached at their upper ends to the fuselage of an airplane, said girder members being spaced apart longitudinally of the fuselage, said girder members having a bend therein whereby the upper portions extend diagonally outwardly and downwardly from the fuselage and the lower portions have a substantially vertical disposition, a wheel supporting framework havingits forward end hinged tothe lower end of the forward girder j member, an elastic tension member resiliently formation and enclosing the entire landing longitudinally of the fuselage, and a landing gear structure except the lowermost portion wheel supported between the lower ends of of the landing wheel. said girder members. 10 7. In a landing gear for airplanes, a pair In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe 5 of girder members adapted to be attached at my signature.

their upper ends tothe fuselage of an airplane, sald girder members being spaced apart GIUSEPPE- MARIO BELLANGA. 

